Mayor Todd Gloria announced Wednesday that the city will freeze most hiring and review capital spending to address a $258 million budget deficit.
Speaking at a press conference at City Hall, Gloria said defeat of the Measure E sales tax increase in November left no option but an immediate effort to save money.
He said San Diego voters made it clear that “they want to continue to operate this city with our existing resources,” adding that he sees this as “an opportunity to reimagine how our city operates and the services it provides.”
The immediate cutbacks outlined Wednesday include:
- A freeze on all but the “most essential” hiring
- Suspending all nonessential overtime
- Pausing spending on travel and training
- Reviewing capital projects and halting new construction
- Pausing the civic center revitalization proposal
- Renegotiating or terminating some city leases
- Seeking to monetize the use of some city facilities, such as Golden Hall
“Since the beginning of my administration, I’ve focused on four key priorities: keeping San Diego safe, addressing our homelessness crisis, building more homes and fixing our roads. These priorities will not be changing,” Gloria said.
In questioning about potential additional revenue sources, Gloria said fees for trash pickup might generate $70 million, but were still speculative and in any case not enough to close the deficit hole.
In preparing for the next budget, which would begin July 1, city departments will be asked to budget from scratch.
Gloria noted that as a council member, acting mayor and elected mayor he has been involved in 12 city budgets.
“I’ve seen this before. We’ve been here before. We’ve gone through it before. And we’ll do it again,” he said.
Updated at 9:15 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024
